125

We have been here before, of course. The history of problems with spec tires is long and varied. In 2012, at Assen, the tires of several riders, including Valentino Rossi and Ben Spies, ended up losing chunks, causing huge problems in the race. The cold tire highsides of 2009 and 2010, which saw Hiroshi Aoyama crack a couple of vertebrae, an injury which ended his career as a competitive racer, and Valentino Rossi break his leg, forcing him to miss a race for the first time in his career.

MotoMatters.com is delighted to feature the work of iconic MotoGP writer Mat Oxley. Oxley is a former racer, TT winner and highly respected author of biographies of world champions Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi, and currently writes for Motor Sport Magazine, where he is MotoGP correspondent. We are featuring sections from Oxley's blogs, which are posted in full on the Motor Sport Magazine website.

MotoMatters.com is delighted to feature the work of iconic MotoGP writer Mat Oxley. Oxley is a former racer, TT winner and highly respected author of biographies of world champions Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi, and currently writes for Motor Sport Magazine, where he is MotoGP correspondent. We are featuring sections from Oxley's blogs, which are posted in full on the Motor Sport Magazine website.

Enea Bastianini has picked up at Aragon where he left off at Misano, topping a bright but chilly first session of free practice for the Moto3 class. Bastianini put nearly a quarter of a second between himself and Miguel Oliveira, the man in 2nd, while Danny Kent slipped in to 3rd just a fraction behind the KTM of Oliveira. Jorge Navarro grabbed 4th, while Isaac Viñales continues to impress with a 5th fastest time.

Danny Kent has taken the Moto3 class by the throat during the first session of free practice at Assen, laying down a withering pace from the start. The current championship leader took top spot early in the session, and ended over six tenths ahead of the opposition. Romano Fenati grabbed second spot, the KTM going well right from the start, while Jorge Navarro lead the Estrella Galicia 0,0 duel ending in 3rd, just ahead of Fabio Quartararo. Efren Vazquez took 5th spot, setting the same time as Quartararo.

With the prospect of Alex Marquez wrapping up the Moto3 title at Valencia, Honda issued a press release looking back at the history of brothers in racing:

MotoGP BROTHERS IN ARMS: A SIBLING HISTORY

Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW) has the chance to make history on Sunday by joining his brother Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) as a World Champion. Never before have two brothers won World Championships in motorcycle Grand Prix racing.

The Sachsenring is a key point on the MotoGP calendar. For the Moto2 and Moto3 riders, it is the last race before the summer break, while the MotoGP men have one more race, at Laguna Seca, before heading off for an all too brief summer hiatus. A good result in Moto2 and Moto3 is crucial, as it determines the momentum you carry into the summer: you either spend the next five weeks brooding over what could have been, or on a high and wishing the next race was the next weekend.

With just over a week to go to the start of the 2013 MotoGP season, it's time to take another trip down memory lane and get ourselves excited about this season's racing. Today, shots from MotoMatters.com star shooter Scott Jones taken at Jerez. Remember also to check out the special offers Scott has on signed photos, including riders such as Casey Stoner, Cal Crutchlow and Nicky Hayden.

Coming into the last lap of 2012 Czech Republic Grand Prix many fans fell back in love with MotoGP series. It does not happen very often, but victory at Brno was still to be decided with just a single lap to go. Spaniards Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo were pushing each other using not just every MotoGP riding trick they had, but also everything they learnt since the pair were still young and wild 125 class riders.